Engine.



P. 0. POULSON.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION II'ILBD MAY 13. 1909.

112119111811 Mar. 1,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHET 1.

P. O. POULSON.

1 ENGINE. A 4 APPLIOATION FILED MAY 1s, 1909. .950,866, Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

ATTORNEYS .P` 0.. POULSON.

ENGINE.

APPLIQATION FILED MAY 18. 1909.

Patented Mar. v1, 1910.;

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. ATTORNEYS ENGINE.

anonce.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Marl 1L, 191th Application filed May 18, 1909. Serial No. 496,797.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, PAUL OLUFF PoULsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brigham city, in the county of Boxelder *l and State of Utah, haveinvented a new and Improved Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, andfeXact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in reciprocating engines, and more particularly to means for eliminating to a large extent, the vibration or shaking of the engine. In my improved engine I utilize twoA pistons within each cylinder and so connect .these pistons that they will move simultaneously in opposite directions from 4the center.. The pistons instead of being connected to a crank shaft are connected by gears to a pinion onvthe main shaft, so that the movements of the two pistons in opposite directions willsimultaneously tend to rotate' the shaft in the same direction.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyv ing drawings, forming a part of this speci- 9 19 and 20, and these cross heads move to-l cation, in which` similar characters of ref- ,'being removed.

7 In my lmproved engine, l preferably ernploy two parallel cylinders 10 and 11, the first of which receives the live1 steam and acts asa high pressure cylinder, while the rother'takes t-he exhaust steam from the first cylinder and operates from secondary expansion. ln each cylinder there are two 'pistons 12. and 13, movable longitudinally and both operatively connected through the same end of the cylinder to the same drive shaft 1'4. The piston 13, at the endof the cylinder farthest from the drive shaft, is provided with a piston rod 15, disposed within the tubular piston rod 16 of the other isto'n. The two piston rods of the pistons 1n the cylinder 10 are provided with cross heads 17 and 18, movable in the same guides ward and from each otherat the same time as the pistons. At the outer ,end of the piston rod 16, and preferably inthe cross head 18., is a stuiiing box 21, by means of which I revent the escape of steam through the annu ar space between the exterior of the piston rod 15 and the interior of the piston. IOCl 16; i

rlhe two piston rods .of the pistons in the cylinder 1l are provided with cross heads 17a and 18a movable in guides 19El and 20%.

The shaft 14 is provided with a gear wheel 22 for each cylinder, and each gear wheel is constructed substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3. rlhe outer peripheral portion of the wheel which carries the gear teeth, is separate and distinct from the innerr or hub portion 23 of the wheel, so that one portion may rotate in respect to the other. The inner or hub portion 23 is keyed to the shaft, so as to rotate therewith, and a plurality of do s 24 are pivoted to the inner portion 23 ot the wheel and held outwardly against the inner circumference of the outer portion by means of suitable springs. The

outer portion of the gear wheel is provided upon its inner surface with a plurality of recesses, adapted to receive said dogs, so that when the outer portion of the gear wheel is positively rotated in one direction, the inner portion and the shaft will be caused to rotate in the same direction, but when the outer portion of the gear wheel is rotated in thereverse direction, it will merely slip over the dogs 24 and will permit the gear wheel to continue rotating in the reverse direction or permit it to remain stationary. 4

' For transmitting motion from thecross heads 17 and 18 to the gear wheel 22, ll provide two rack bars 25 and 26, engaging with the gear wheel at diametrically opposite points. These rack bars are' para lel and the upper rack bar 25 is bent downwardly `at one end to engage with the cross head 18, while the other isx bent upwardly to engage with the cross head 17. As the two pistons move in opposigte directions, the

ltwo rack bars will also move in opposite directions, but as they engage with opposite sides of the gear wheel, the latter will be' caused to rotate. The dogs 24 are so arranged that while the pistons are spreadin apart, positive motion will be transmitte to the shaft 14, and during the return movements of the pistons toward each other, the shaft will be permitted to continue rotating but no'positive movement will be communicated thereto. 'llhe cross heads 17 and 18 are lprovided with rack bars 25n l simi ar to the bars 25 rand 26, except that the bar 25a from the cross head 18'1 is disposed beneath the gear wheel and the bar 2Ga is disposed above.

l For equalizing the strain on the gear Wheels and insuring the simultaneous and opposite movement of the rack bars, I provide two equalizing pinions 27 and 27, disposed intermediate the cross heads and the ear wheels 22. These pinions are keyed to the same shaft and are free to rotate in either direction and oscillate back and forth as the. rack bars reciprocate.' As the pistons in one cylinder are approaching each other while the pistons in the opposite cylinder are separating, it is evident that the piston 13 of one c linder and the piston 12 of the other cylin er travel in the saine direction at the same time. As the rack bar connected to the 'piston l2 of one cylinder is above the gear wheel 27 while the rack bar from the piston 12 of the other cylinder is below its gear wheel', Ait is evident that the two gear, wheels 27 and 27a will rotate simultaneously in the same direction, and they will insure the simultaneous operation of the pistons in the two cylinders.- B eqiializing thestrain on the-two rack bars y the pinions 27, 27, the outer shell of the gear wheels 22 may be made comparatively thin and plenty of space left f0r`the clutches on the inner portion of the wheels. F or holding the rack bars in engagement Withtli'e gear wheels 22 and the pinions 27, 27, I referably employ-antifriction rollers 28 or engagement with the lower'side of the rack bars 26, 25, and antifriction rollers 29 for engagement with the upper side of the rack bars 25, 26a.

For controlling the admission of motive fluid to the cylinders, I preferably provide a single, steam chest 30, which may extend across the twocylinders and communicate with both. The cylinder 10 is provided with a single port 31, intermediate its ends and communicating with the -steain chest,

and serving both as an inlet and an exhaust port. The cylinder 11 is provided with two ports 32 and 33, one of which serves as an inlet port and theother of which serves as an exhaustport.- Within the steam chest is a slide valve 8l, having a passage 35 cxtending longitudinally thereof. lViih the valve inthe position indicated in Figl, this passage 35 iii the valve establishes communication between the port 31 ofthe cylinder lO-antl the port 32 of the cylinder 11. At this time partially expanded steam may exhaust from the' high pressure cylinder 10 through the passage 35 to the low pressure cylinder 1l, and operate to spread apart the pistons in the latter. Upon shifting the valve toward the left, the port 31 is uncovered, so that it communicates directly with the interior of the steam chest. Live and 26a, steam may now enter from-a conduit 36 and flow through the steam chest and the port 31 to the cylinder 10. A port 37 in thc valve will be brought into registry with the port 233, so that the exhaust steam in the low pressure cylinder 11 may escape through an exhaust conduit 38. The slide valve thus controls the admission and exhaust of steam to both ofthe cylinders and thus insures the operating of the two cylinders in unison'.

For operating the slide valve, a suitablebell crank lever 39 may be employed and pivoted intcriuediate its ends to a bracket fr0 at one end of the steam chest. One end of the hell crank lever may have slot-andpiii-connections with a valve rod 41, connected to the 4slide valve, and the other end of said lever may be connected by a link 42 to a.bracket 43 on the cross head 18 of the low pressure cylinder.

I have described the engine illustrated asa compound steam engine, butit is evident that the same principle of oper-ation may be employed in an internal combustion engine, and certain of the features, particularly, the connectionbetween the drive shaft and the pistons, be employed in engines having a' Patent:

1. An engine having a cylinder, two pistons arranged to move simultaneously in opposite direetions,`a drive shaft, a gear wheel mounted thereon, a clutch connecting said shaft and said gear wheel to permit of their relative rotation in one direction, and rack bars operatively connected' to said piston and iu engagement with said gear wheel at diametrically opposite points, to move simultaneously in opposite directions with the pistons.

2. An engine having a cylinder, two pistons arranged to move simultaneously in opposite directions, a shaft, a gear wheel mounted thereon, rack bars connected to said pistons to reciprocate therewith and in engagement with said gear wheel at diametrirally opposite points to simultaneously rotate the latter, the direction of rotation being reversed during successive reciproealions of the piston, and a clutch for connecting said gear wheel and shaft to positively rotate the latter during alternate rotative movements of the gear wheel.

.\n engine having a cylinder, two pistous arranged to more simultaneously in opposite directions, piston rods connected.

to said pistons and both extending through the same end of the cylinder, cross heads on said piston rods, a drive shaft, a gear Wheel mounted thereon, a rack bar in enga-gement rwith the upper Side of said gear Wheel and operatively connected to one of said cross heads, a ruck bar in engagement With the under side of said gear wheel and operatively connected With the other cross head, whereby the. simultaneous movement of the two pistonslfs insured, and the gear Wheel is positively rotated in alternate'directions during the/,successive reciprocations of the pistons, andmeans adapted to be rotated by said gear wheel during alternate rotative movements of the latter.

4. An engine having'tvvo cylinders, each l having two pistons arranged to move simultaneously in opposite directions, a Ashaft, two gear Wheels mounted thereon, twolrack bars in en agement 'with each gear wheel at diametrica ly opposite points and operatively eonnected to` thetwo pistons of the in one direction, and means for synehronizv ing the pistons of o ne cylinder with those'of the'other, said means comprising a second shaftand gear wheels connected thereto and 1n engagement with the several rack bars, whereby all of the rack bars are caused to reciprocate simultaneously.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name 4to this specification in the presence of 'tivo' subseribingwitnesses.

OLUFF POULSON. Witnesses: A l

JAMES PETER THOMPSON,

Aiv'ri-ioN CHRISTIAN NIELsEN. 

